Safe.



i110. 735,787. l PATBNTED AUG. 11, 1903.' H. C. LOW'RIE. l

SAFE.

APPLICATION FILED DEO. 15, 1,902.

.l0 MODEL. 3 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

No. 735,737. PATBNTED AUG'. 11, 190s;

H. G. LOWRIE.

SAFE.

APPLIOATION FILED DBO. 15', 1902, i no no nm.. a SHEETS-SHEET z.

-PATENTED AUG. 11, 1903;. H. G. LOWRIE.

SAFE'.

APPLIOATION FILED DBO. 15, 1902.

' a SHEETS-SHEET 3.

JN0. 735,737A

lo MODEL.

' m: Norms' Pneus to., Puurau'mo.; wAsNm mm'b. c.

Navarre?.

UNITED STATES Patented August 11, 190B.

PATENT OFFICE.,

SAFE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 735,787, dated August11, 1903. Application tiled December 15. 1902. Serial No.*135,262. (Nomodel.)

To a/ZZ whom t may concern.-

Be it known that I, HARVEY C. LOWRIE, a citizen of the United States,residing at Denver, in the county of Arapahoe and State of Colorado,have invented new and useful Improvements in Safes, of which thefollowing' is a specication. Y

My invention relates to a safe in which money 4or articles of value maybe secured against theft; and,broadlystated,it consists in theco111bination,with areceptacle havinglocking lugs or projections, of aninclosing case and locking mechanism for securing the receptacle in saidcase, said mechanism consisting of two or more separately-adjustablerotary tumblers or rings adapted by rotation-to engage and disengage thelocking-lugs on the receptacle, as will be hereinafter described.

Referring to the drawings furnished and forming a part of thisspecification, Figure 1 is a front or plan View of a safe embodying myinvention designed to be secured in a trunk or travelers case. Fig'. 2is a vertical sectional view of the same on line .fr of Fig. 1. Figs. 3and 4 are 'side and bottom views, respectively, of the receptacleremoved from the receptacle-case. Fig. 5 is a top or front view of thereceptacle-case, thereceptacle being removed therefrom. Figs. G and 7illus trate the rotary tumblers or locking-rings in top and edge views.Fig.' 8 is a sectional view illustrating a rotary or antifrictionbearing at the open end of the receptacle-case which is employed whenthe safe or receptacle is of large dimensions or designed to containarticles of considerable weight and Figs. 9 and 10 illustrate areceptacle and inclosing case in top and sectional views, respectively,embodying a modified forni of myinvention.

Asafe embodying my invention may be put` to various uses and may bedesigned to be set or built into a wall or tobe' attached 'to a desk,bureau, or other article `of furniture, In Figs. 1 to 7, inclusive, Ishow a safe designed to be secured in the corner of a trunk, y

thereceptaclecase 1 being attached to a bracket 2,"which'is'to beriveted to the walls 3 of a trunk, as clearly shown iu Fig. 1. Thereceptacle 4, which is inserted and locked in the case l, is in the formof a tube which is closed at both ends and provided with an openingthrough the tubular wall for affording access to the interior chamber,said opening being provided either with a hinged or sliding door 5, asbest shown in Fig. The tubular wall of the receptacle is preferablycomposed of thin sheet metal, which is secured to forged or stampedmetal end plates 6 and 7. The end plate 6 is larger in diameter than themain body of the receptacle, and its projecting edge 8 serves as asupportingshoulder when the receptacle is in its case. On the outer faceof the end plate 6 are numbered graduations 9, which, with an index 10on the receptacle-case 1, serves as a guide to the rotary movements'which must be given to the receptacle to release it from the lockingmechanism, to be hereinafter described. The end plate 6 is also providedwitha fixed knob or handle 11 and a rotatable knob 12, by means of whichthe receptacle may be rotated and withdrawn from itscase. The end plate7 is slightly larger than the body of the receptacle, and at one pointin its periphery it is slotted,'as at 13, to afford a passage-way for afeather-'guide 14, which projects from the tubular wall of thereceptacle-case. Said end plate 7 is also provided with a central stud15, which serves as a supporting-j ournal for the innerend of thereceptacle, and at a point removed from the center there is a stud 16,which is slotted, as at 17 and 18, to aord lugs or projections 19 and20, which coperate with the tumblers or locking-rings, to be hereinafter'referred to, for locking the receptacle in the receptacle-case.

The receptacle-case 1 is preferably in the form of a tube which isclosed at one end and having a diameter slightly larger than thediameter of the receptacle end plate 7. Around the open end of said tubeor case there is an interior annular shoulder, forming a seat or bearingfor the edge vof the receptacle end plate 6. The rear end of thereceptacle-case is closed by a plate 21, which -isvprovided with acentral socket 22 for receiving the stud or journal 15 on the rear endof 'the receptacle, the latter being thus held centrally within thecase, so that it maj7 be freely revolved therein.

At the rear end of the receptacle-case there are two circular tumblersor rings 23 and 24, which, with the stud 16 on the receptacle, con- IOOstitute the locking mechanism. These rings or tumblers, of which theremay bc any number, are mounted to turn or revolve in grooves 25, whichmay be i'ormed in thc wall of thc case itself or in a housing 2U,secured in the case, as shown in Fig. 1. For the sake of economy and tofacilitate assembling the parts the housing 2G is built up of rings 223, and 2i two of which are countersunk on one side around th e centralopenin g to form the grooves 25, in which thc tumblers or rings aremounted. After these parts are properly assembled they are securedtogether by rivets 30, which pass through the three housing-rings 27,2S, and 29 and the end plate 21, as clearly shown in Figs. 1 and 5.These several parts are then secured to the tubular wall of thereceptacleease by rivets or pins 31.

As illustrated in Figs. G and 7, the inner edge of the ring or tumbler23 is cut out, as at 32, to form a passage-way for the slotted stud 16,and a similar passage-way 33 is formed in the ring 24. Thesepassage-ways are moved into and out of alinement with each other byrotating` the rings for the purpose of unlocking and locking thereceptacle, as will be presently explained.

In the bottom of the receptacle is a series of screw-threaded holes 34,35, 3G, and 37, into one of which is inserted a screw or pin 38. Thenthe receptacle is rotated, this pin travels in a circular path directlyabove the ring or tumbler 23, and on the latter there is a pin orprojection 39 in the path of the pin 3S. On the under side of ring 23there is a pin or projection 40, which when said ring is revolved willstrike against a similar projection 41 on the ring 24. By means of thesepins both of the locking-rings may be revolved in their bearings byrotating the receptacle, as will be readily understood.

The feather-guide 14, which has been before referred to, projects fromthe interior wall of the receptacle-case and prevents the receptaclefrom being pushed to its seat in the case or withdrawn therefrom exceptwhen the slot 13 in the receptacle end plate 7 is in line with saidguide.

It is now to be understood that when the receptacle is to be inserted inthe receptaclecase the locking tumblers or rings 23 and 24 are soadjusted that when the slot 13 is inline with the feather-guide 14 thepassage-ways through the rings for the stud 1G will be in line with eachother, as well as in line with said stud. The feather-guide prevents thestud 16 from disturbing the adjusted position of the rings. After thereceptacle is properly seated in the case it is revolved therein 4formoving the slotted stud 16 around the inner edges of the locking-rings,the latter then occupying the slots 17 and 1S in the stud and preventinga withdrawal of the receptacle. As`the receptacle is revolved pin 38eomesin Contact with the projection 39 on the ring 23 and moves thelatter with the receptacle, and when the projection 40 on the under sideof locking-rings must be adjusted to the positions they occupied whenthe receptacle was inserted therein, this being accomplished bypredetermined movements which are indicated by a series of numbers andguided by the dial on the face of the receptacle after the manner of. anordinary combination-lock.

The series of holes 34, 35, 3G, and 37 in the bottom of the receptacleare provided for changing the combination at pleasure. These holes aredrilled at random; but all of them must be the same distance from thecentral stud 15. The projections 39 and 40 on the ring 23 and 41 on ring24 are also located at random,so that no two safes will have the sameopening-combinations except by accident.

The opening-combinations are initially determined in any suitablemanner, and for the sake of convenience said combinations are stamped onthe bottom of the receptacle in a manner to indicate what thecombination will be when the pin 3S is in any particular hole. Forinstance, the numbers 32 19 are stamped adjacent to the hole 34, whichindicates the first two numbers of the combination ofthesafewhenpinSisin thatparticularhole. The last number in the combinationdepends on the location ofthe slot 13 in the end plate 7, and this lastnumber is the same in all of the several combinations of the particularsafe. The pin is shown in hole 36 and the4 numbers adjacent to said holeare 27 -14. These, therefore7 are the first two numbers of thecombination to which the lock is adjusted.

To unlock the safe, the receptacle is iii-st given three or morecomplete turns, so that the tumbler or ring 24 may be carried to itsproper position, the movement of the receptacle being stopped for thispurpose when the graduation-mark 27 on the dial is opposite the index 10on the receptacle-case, said number being the rst number of thecombination to which the safe is adjusted. The receptacle is then turneda complete revolution in the opposite direction and the movementcontinued until 14 is opposite the index, said number being the secondnumber of the combination. The ring 23 will thus be moved to its properposition of adjustment. The movement is again reversed until the slot 13is 0pposite the feather-guide 14. The receptacle may then be withdrawnfrom its case, as will be readily understood.

In Fig. S I show a receptacle-ease'42, which is provided with arevolving bearing, which is desirable when the receptacle is ofcomparatively large dimensions or designed to contain articles ofconsiderable weight. Said bearing consists of a ring 43, having aslightly-tapered inner bearing-surface 44, against which the end plate45 of the receptacle rests. The bearing-ring is supported onantifriction-balls 46,which are themselves supported on a shoulder 47,formed around the interior of the re- IOC IIO

V ied in a structure in which-the receptacle is held in its case againstrotation-as, for instance, as illustrated in Figs. i) and l0. As shownin said figures, the receptacle 49 is rectangular in cross-section andlits into a similar-shaped case 50. The face of the receptacle isprovided with a revolving dial 5l, which is secured to a spindle 52,extending to the rear of the receptacle and having on its inner end adisk 53. On the inside of the receptacle said spindle is provided with acollar 54 for preventing the receptacle from being withdrawn from thereceptacle-case in case the dial 5l should be removed from the spindle.The disk 53 is provided with a slotted stud 55 and a pin or projection56, which coperate with the tumblers or rings 57 and 58, as heretoforedescribed. The operations of lock ing and unlocking the receptacle arealso as heretofore described,except that instead of revolving thereceptacle itself the disk 53, which corresponds to the bottom of thereceptacle before described, is revolved by revolving the dial 5l,as'will be readily understood.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire tosecure by Letters Patent, is-

l. The combination with a storage-recepta cle provided with locking lugsor projections, of an inclosing case, and means for locking saidreceptacle in said case consisting of two or more tumblers rotativelymounted in said case and adapted by rotation to engage and disengagethelocking-lugs on the receptacle, and means whereby said tumblers may berotated into and out of alinement with each other, substantially asdescribed.

2. The combination with a storage-receptacle, of a receptacle-case inwhich said receptacle may be inserted and revolved, locking mechanism insaid case for securing said receptacle therein, which will permit thereceptacleto be freely rotated in either direction, said mechanism beingadapted to be operated for locking and unlocking the receptacle byrotative movements of the latter, substantially as described.

3. The combination with a tubular-shaped storage-receptacle having-alateral opening, a receptacle-case in which said receptacle may beinserted and revolved, locking` mechanism in said case for securing saidreceptacle therein, said mechanism permitting the receptacle to befreely revolved in either direction and being adapted to be operated forlocking and unlocking the receptacle by rotative movements of thelatter, substantially as described.

4. rllhe combination ol a storage-receptacle provided with locking-lugs,of a case in which said receptacle maybe inserted and revolved, two ormore locking-tumblers mounted in said case adapted to engage and disengage the lockinglugs on said receptacle, and means whereby said tumblersmay be separately adjusted by rotative movements of said receptacle,substantially as described.

5. The combination with a s torage-receptacle provided withlocking-lugs, of a case in which said receptacle may be inserted andrevolved, two or more circular tumblers rotatively mounted in said caseand adapted by rotation to engage and disen gage the lookin glugs onsaid receptacle, and means whereby said tumblers may be moved into andout of alinement with each other by rotative movements of saidreceptacle, substantially as described.

6. The combination with a storage-receptacle, of a case in which saidreceptacle may be inserted and revolved, two or more tumblers rotativelymounted in said case, a pin or projection on said receptacle adapted toengage and move one of said tumblers and a similar pin or projection onsaid tumblers adapted to engage and move the next adjacent tumbler, andlocking-lugs on said receptacle with which said tumblers engage,substantially as described.

7. The combination with a storage-receptacle, of a case in which saidreceptacle may be inserted and revolved, a slotted stud at the rear ofthe-receptacle, two or more tumblers rotatively mounted in said case andadapted to occupy the slots in said stud, and means whereby saidtumblers may be separately adjusted for removing the receptacle from thecase, substantially as described.

S. The combination with a storage-recep tacle provided withlocking-lugs, of an inclosing case, two or more locking-tumblers mountedin said case adapted to coperate with the lugs on said receptacle forlocking the latter in the case, and means carried by the recep tacle forseparately adjusting said tumblers, substantially as described.

9. The combination with a storage-recepn tacle provided with lockinglugs or projections, of an inclosing case for said receptacle, and meansfor locking said receptacle in said case consisting of two or morecircular tumblers rotatively supported at their outer edges within saidcase, said tumblers each having a circular inner edge which is adaptedto cooperate with the lugs on said receptacle, said inner edge being cutaway at one point to afford a passage-way for said lugs, and meanswhereby the passage-ways in said rings maybe placed in or out ofalinement with each other, substantially as described.

10'. The combination with a storage-receptacle provided withlocking-lugs, of a case into which said receptacle maybe inserted andrevolved, two or more locking-tumblers in said case adapted to cooperatewith the lugs on said IOO IIO

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand in presence of twosubscribing witnesses.

HARVEY C. LO\VRIE.

receptacle for looking the latter in said ease, means whereby saidtumblers may be separate] y adjusted by rotative movements of thereceptacle, and separate means for preventing the insertion andwithdrawal of the receptacle until the latter is turned to a iiXed pointWitnesses:

E. BARNETT,

of adjustment, substantialiy as described. l V. J. VOODMAN.

